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Old 08-30-2011, 03:10 PM
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I put this in the off road electronics section because im racing electric short course



well let me start out by saying this has been my experience, others may have had better luck.
But boy I sure havent.

lets rewind about a month and a half ago.
I order a GTB2 SSpro 8.5 combo. everything seems all good except I notice my range is considerably shorter with this speed control and motor.
Even tried a power cap in the receiver and the same results.


I figure what the crap it works pretty good and if im on a driver stand it will probably reach, but on flat ground maybe 50 yards tops.
With a different speed control the range is normal like it should be.


A couple weeks later I order another GTB2/ballisitc 550 combo to go in my Losi.
Put the goods in and within 1 lap the motor fails with a bad sensor (1 weekend of racing gone)
I call Novak the following Monday and they get a sensor cable and sensor in the mail to me, they dont make it till the following week. (2nd weekend of racing gone).
install the new motor sensor and it tests out all good in the testing mode.
take the truck outside and it drives about 10 feet and the same error message on the esc.

Call Novak immediately as they are on the west coast and im on the east coast. Ruth sends me back to Charlie and he tells me to send it in. I ship it 2 day express on Friday and they get my motor and esc Monday. (3rd weekend of racing gone)

They ship out a new unit on Wednesday which wont make it to me till the following week. (4th weekend of racing gone)

I get the new gear and throw it in my Losi and head out to the track.
In the 3rd heat the power cap burst on the speed control, and Im not able to race in the main.
I call Novak again on the following Monday and they say they will get a new power cap out to me. I elected to do this and solder it up as opposed to sending it in again.

now 8 days later I still have no power cap.
4 weekends of racing gone
$440 of my hard earned money in Novak electronics and STILL nothing works 100%

this is absolutely unacceptable.
Granted they are nice on the phone and send out parts no questions asked but the bottom line is they shouldnt need to send parts out for brand new units and if they do send new parts out they should be express shipped.

If it comes to the point that they are spending to much in shipping, perhaps they should re-evaluate the products they are selling.


Any of you guys at Tekin got a coupon code for me, im feeling a change.

[/rant]

Last edited by Lucid; 08-30-2011 at 03:12 PM. Reason: edit to add details at the top
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Old 08-30-2011, 03:27 PM
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This is why I advise people at my local track to never buy novak products... because I see nothing but failure after failure after failure. Heck.. I see more novak failures than RTR garbage electronics.
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Old 08-30-2011, 04:02 PM
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These types of problems aren't unique to Novak, unfortunately. I had a number of Novak speedos (original SS brushless system with the 4300 motor and a GTB system) and thankfully they all held up, but I watched more than a few of the original GTB's go up in smoke and flames. I had constant issues with the original LRP Sphere, and a Tekin RS Pro that I ordered a few months ago had a charred circuit board right out of the box.

How and why these issues escape QA has long been a question of mine. I'm currently running an LRP SXX which has been nothing but great to me: it's butter smooth and it's been reliable, but I remember trying to deal with LRP's customer service when I had issues with the Sphere, and it was a royal pain. Send it in, wait 6 - 8 weeks (no quick turnaround at all like Novak), and get the same problem back in the mail. I've never had to work with Novak, but I've heard nothing but good things about Charlie & co. Same with Tekin. Hopefully LRP's service has improved. I wasn't crazy about buying the SXX, but I wanted a smooth ESC with a low profile so I bit the bullet.

I get your frustration... I was consistently pissed off with my first Sphere and it totally saps the enjoyment out of the hobby. Stick with it and see what Novak can do to help you out.
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Old 08-30-2011, 04:52 PM
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My Novak product is all works perfectly.

Oh, and IBTL.
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Old 08-30-2011, 04:55 PM
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Originally Posted by CraigMBA
My Novak product is all works perfectly.

Oh, and IBTL.
Well as long as yours works, I guess all of the OP's problems are solved
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Old 08-30-2011, 05:05 PM
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Maybe I should call novak. No answer in 3 emails I sent them about 2 escs that smoked on me.
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Old 08-30-2011, 05:49 PM
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I too have been having problems with my novak esc. I will tell you this though,
charlie has, in my opinion gone above and beyond to take care of my problems.
Hang in there bud and im sure they'll make it right.
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Old 08-30-2011, 06:25 PM
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Originally Posted by Teammoose
Maybe I should call novak. No answer in 3 emails I sent them about 2 escs that smoked on me.
Def. call them, I will give them credit Ruth, Brent, and Charlie are all top notch with customer support and doing what they can.

It just seems I cant get working stuff in the end. Very nice people though.
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Old 08-30-2011, 07:56 PM
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Kind of off topic but the componets in all the electronics we use are bought in bulk from over seas. Qc in other places is not as good as here in America and I'm sure the failures we all see with all brands are due in part to the componets being overated or under spec when our stuff is built. Sucks but is what it is. In the end use what works for you and the good cs helps too. Personally I run all cc for the last three years of racing and will continue. Works extremely well for me. But like I said to each his own. I've seen every brand smoke at the track so it's not a single company IMO that has bad product.
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Old 08-30-2011, 08:28 PM
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the reason CS is so good at Novak is because they have lots of experience due to products that flat out suck..

I wanted to make the change from CC to Novak because i wanted to go with a sensor based set up on my ST. Right out of the box the blue LED was out and you couldn't program it. Sent it back and was shipped a replacement the next week. Installed the new unit and went to the track. After a few smooth laps i was very impressed with the Novak unit. But then once i was starting to make a few jumps the whole unit was shutting down. Turns out the switch wires going into the ESC were loose. Had to get them in a spot where they were happy and zip tied them to the battery leads. While the first unit was off for repair i bought a new unit for my SC truck. About 5 minutes of running the cap burst and catches fire. Sent it back and Novak sent me a new one. This one didn't even make 30 seconds and the same thing hapened. I contacted Charlie and he was very helpful and understood my frustration. They sent me a brand new havoc SC pro unit with a Ballestic 4.5 motor. I'm sure the new unit would have been fine but I sold that thing as fast as I could. Replaced with a Tekin and havent looked back.

I'm still running the second unit with the wire problem but as soon as it goes bad it will be replaced with a tekin also.
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Old 08-30-2011, 08:37 PM
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Originally Posted by slimthelineman
Kind of off topic but the componets in all the electronics we use are bought in bulk from over seas. Qc in other places is not as good as here in America and I'm sure the failures we all see with all brands are due in part to the componets being overated or under spec when our stuff is built. Sucks but is what it is. In the end use what works for you and the good cs helps too. Personally I run all cc for the last three years of racing and will continue. Works extremely well for me. But like I said to each his own. I've seen every brand smoke at the track so it's not a single company IMO that has bad product.
You would find it extremely hard to find *ANY* electrical item in your house or in the world that does not contain both passive and active electrical components made in China.
QC really is as good or better in China these days for components made to standards. Yes, there are lots of shady products that you can buy in mainland China or find on ebay but I'm pretty sure Novak will be using standard grade electrical/electronic components that you will find in your DVD player, MP3 player, variable frequency drive(automation world), etc...

I would suggest their design has some issues. I have no personal experience myself but I see a lot more Novak complaints than I do see from Castle, Tekin, LRP, etc...

At least they have good CS.
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Old 08-30-2011, 09:21 PM
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I have had good luck with both of my kinetic esc's so far...knock on wood! I know Charlie personally & if he's helping you out I know he will provide excellent customer service. He cares very much for the consumers. The speed controls I'm using are actually novak factory refurbished units. Sometimes they are better than new because the techs will go through the units to assure they work & have the newest software installed.
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Old 08-31-2011, 04:00 AM
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Originally Posted by BLbound
I have had good luck with both of my kinetic esc's so far...knock on wood! I know Charlie personally & if he's helping you out I know he will provide excellent customer service. He cares very much for the consumers. The speed controls I'm using are actually novak factory refurbished units. Sometimes they are better than new because the techs will go through the units to assure they work & have the newest software installed.

anyone who sends a product in to be replaced gets a refurbished unit in return, you dont actually get a new production unit.

when I sent my motor and esc back in the one I got back actually had an older serial number.
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Old 08-31-2011, 07:09 AM
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customer service only goes so far. What about Quality Control? I just recently sold my last Novak Speedo and won't touch another one. out of ALL the novaks speedo's i've had, this one that i just sold was the only one that worked 100% of the time.

I'm sure the customer support at novak is great but like the OP said, he has tons of money wrapped up in products he can barely use. I've been there too. They is no point in buying something that constantly breaks even if you can get a new one every time it breaks.
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Old 08-31-2011, 07:18 AM
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Novak Electronics has the best customer support I have ever experienced, I am sure you will get all this squared away with a phone call. They are really busy everyday doing their daily tasks, and sometimes over look their email. A phone call always works best. . . . I would call and ask for Charlie and explain to him the issue you are experiencing.

I am sure that I will have people read this post and right away think I am only talking like this because Novak gives me support, but in all honesty like I said prior Novak is the best customer service I have experienced even way back when I was a child and didnt have a novak ride I have always ran their stuff...
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